


Lost In The Ashes

by reclusivealchemist



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M, Gen, Pre-Canon, Romance, Slow Burn, Young Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 14:29:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15293535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reclusivealchemist/pseuds/reclusivealchemist
Summary: Everything he had, he owed to The Empire. Everything he wanted, The Empire had. His hopes, dreams, goals, and aspirations, were so clearly laid out in front of him... until they weren't.





	Lost In The Ashes

The soft breeze blew through the tall grass of the hill he sat on as he watched her walk along the edge of the forest. A handful of robes tangled roughly in her right hand, she used the small fabric bowl that formed to gather the various plants that only she could decipher meaning from. His eyes narrowed in on her face as she approached, a frustrated frown embedding itself on her sun kissed skin. 

“Astrid,” he smiled as she clumsily sat down next to him, sorting through the treasures in her lap. “Are you okay?”

“These aren’t going to work…” she mumbled, frown deepening on her face as she picked up a more frantic rhythm with her hands. “Well, they will  _ work _ but they won’t heal the burns as quickly as he wants. We’ll have to wait ten minutes between questions, at best.”

She looked up, her deep brown eyes glistening slightly as she held Caleb’s stark blue ones with her stare. The wind caught her equally deep hued mane, tossing it around her like a storm, causing another layer of frizz to mount on her ever chaotic apparence. 

Reaching out, he smoothed what he could with a smile, trying to keep their eyes connected as long as possible until she broke his hold and began sorting through her plants again. “I promise...It will be ok” he breathed out in a whisper, hoping her anxiety hadn’t fully taken hold and flooded her ears, muting the world around her. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll soften my flame. Would that help?”

Her eyes cut softly in his direction before darting away again. “Yes, it would. Thank you Caleb.” Releasing the fabric in her lap, she reached towards his hand that had settled itself in the hair near her shoulder. She turned his palm toward her face and leaned into it, turning slightly and giving it a soft kiss as she closed her eyes. 

He inhaled, holding his breath as time slowed around them. He knew better than to read too deeply into her actions, but these soft moments between them were so rare he held on to every second as he committed them to memory. His eyes focused on her face, her smooth skin slightly shining from the heat of the day. A faint scar highlighting her left brow, remnants of an injury from childhood that they laughed about frequently every time her clumsiness got the best of her. 

Suddenly, his chest tightened. Her presence and an ache in his lungs from the held breath combined to cause his eyes to water. Her eyes opened as a smile simultaneously spread across her face, causing him to shakily exhale. “Eodwulf is coming to scold us” she laughed, “We’ve been here slightly too long for his liking, I’m sure.”

As time rushed to catch up with him, he closed his eyes and listened to the light wind rustle through the tree line and wild grass that surrounded them. A faint crunch of fallen twigs and earth caught his attention, giving the tell tale signs that Eodwulf was indeed approaching.

“Come,” he said, standing quickly, while keeping their hands connected, “lets meet him halfway.” He watched her gather her fabric bowl once more, a gentle smile creeping its way to his face. She glanced up towards him, biting her lower lip in trepidation as she rose from the ground. “It will be fine, I promise” he whispered to her as they turned to begin their decent down the grassy knoll.

Eodwulf appeared in their line of sight instantly, causing Astrid to drop Caleb's hand. He knew it wasn’t a personal slight against him, more of a precaution for them both. If Eodwulf even caught a hint of any personal relations between the two, Trent would know instantly, and that would definitely end poorly for the both of them. He extended his arm lightly, brushing his hand against hers one last time as they approached hurriedly. 

“Caleb,” Eodwulf said curtly as they breezed past him and he turned on his heel to accompany them towards the small cabin in the center of the open field. “Astrid.”

“Eodwulf” Caleb said in return, keeping his eyes forward as he brushed the tail of his coat behind him and tucked his hands together at the base of his spine. 

“Trent will be wholly interested in what took the two of you so long on a simple herbs excursion...as am I.”

“Well, since Trents interest is the only one that truly matters, I believe you may find out shortly”, Caleb replied. Any hint of the smile Astrid had brought out of him vanishing, as a fresh annoyance at Eodwulf’s questioning took hold.

As they approached the cabin, Astrid pushed past both of the boys, emptying her findings on a wooden table outside the door. A simple mortar and pestle and various other pre-made concoctions sat awaiting her. Crushing and grinding various plants into a thick white paste, she pulled a small notebook, quill, and ink from a drawer in the table, and scribbled down a diagram of one of the herbs, quickly labeling it. 

Eodwulf continued his long-legged stride into the cabin, pausing near the door without turning towards her to say, “Please do hurry Astrid. I’m not sure the traitor will hold out much longer.”

“Ja, Eodwulf” she mumbled, biting down on the nib of her quill as she poured a viscous blue liquid into her concoction and began to mix it together once more.

He nodded entering the home and shutting the door behind himself briskly. The sounds of creaking floorboards and muffled words indicating Trents presence inside as well.

Caleb approached her, standing near her side as he reached the table. He examined her from the corner of his eye, feigning interest in her labeled bottles and dried plants. Her face had lost its softness from the hill, a rigid form taking hold of her entire body. He hated seeing her like this, shut off and cold. He watched her wipe the pestle roughly along the edge of the bowl that held her salve, a slight citrusy aroma wafting in the breeze. She wiped her hands on the front of her robes, straightening her posture as she took a deep breath and prepared herself to enter the cabin. “Why are we doing this again?” she whispered, still refusing to look in his direction.

“Astrid…” Caleb replied, taking a step closer to her, but keeping his eyes focused ahead as well. “Without The Empire, we’d have nothing. You know this. These…people” he spat out the last word, disgust evident, “don’t deserve the sympathy of The Empire, let alone you and I. It’s for the greater good.” As he ended his sentence, he reached out swiftly and grabbed her hand, giving her a gentle squeeze. “Ja, mein sch ä tzchen?”

A light chuckle escaped her, causing a warmth to spread through his chest. Releasing his hand, she gathered the bowl and her notebook, and began walking towards the door, Caleb close behind her. “The greater good…” she whispered over her shoulder, a small smile curling at the edge of her lips. He nodded in agreement, reaching around her and pushing the door open.

 

**Author's Note:**

> AN: This is the first fic that I've ever had the guts to post, and a story that has been swirling in my mind since Caleb's lore dump. I hope you all can forgive any and all errors or just plain subpar story telling. If you've made it this far, I hope you've enjoyed what you've read and are looking forward to the upcoming chapters as much as I'm looking forward to sharing them with you!  
> \---  
> Sincerely,
> 
> RA


End file.
